24 Sep Am I Allowed to Fly A SportCruiser IFR?

Flying the SportCruiser IFR

One of the most frequently asked questions we get about the SportCruiser – “Can you fly it IFR?”.

The simple answer is – “Yes!”.

As it is with any question pertaining to government regulation, this isn’t exactly an easy question to answer, so here’s the long and short of it:

“An aircraft may be operated on an IFR flight plan under IFR in VMC, provided the PIC is properly certificated to operate the aircraft under IFR. However, if the aircraft is not approved for IFR operations under its TC, or if the appropriate instruments and equipment are not installed or are not operative, operations in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) are prohibited. The PIC of such an aircraft must cancel the IFR flight plan in use and avoid flight into IMC.”

What does this mean to you and the SportCruiser? You can enjoy the low operating costs of the SportCruiser while also:

Training for your Instrument Certificate

Taking your Instrument Check Ride (with the use of the Garmin GTN 650)

Maintain instrument proficiency while in a training scenario

While the above applies to the more strictly regulated Special Light Sport Aircraft (“S-LSA”) SportCruiser, there are options for SportCruiser owners to enjoy the full range of not just IFR but also IMC flight. In the event your SportCruiser is certified as an Experimental Light Sport Aircraft (“E-LSA”), you may be able to fly your SportCruiser not only in the instrument system but also in actual IMC conditions. This is, however, subject to your SportCruiser meeting FAR 91.205 requirements and you having a valid and current rating for IFR and IMC flight.